Monday, September 17, 2007

Saas Bahu sankat comes to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007

SRGMP has always had its roots in saas-bahu serials - its narrative powered by jazbaat and drama. Mussarat has been an object of dispute on this show. These two came together with a crackle last week and resulted in a jhagda that shook one contestant to the core and made Himesh Reshammiya look like a saas-bahu villian.

Here's how it went down. Mussarat sings songs in only one jonar - most people call it sufi, but its really a wide range of shababi stuff. And Vishal has endlessly needled him to bring more variety to his singing in order to prove his talent. This is something that has repeatedly gotten Himesh's goat because it tends to eat into Mussy's votes even when the man sings his heart out.

Faced with the prospect of Mussarat losing to Vishal-Shekhar's own chela Raja Hasan, Himesh got progressively more sullen on the show. Add to this the fact that Raja delivered a very ordinary (by his own standards, to be fair) rendition of "Hum The Woh Thi" from Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and his gurus - under pressure to save their last contestant in the show - promptly and rather amusingly leaped on stage and tried to fake a "great Raja performance".

Now I can understand Bappi joining them on stage but when long-standing Himesh chamchaa Ismail also bounded up there with them, it must have left the House of Reshammiya fuming. Later, he rather reluctantly joined the rest on stage and added some meaningless banter to the proceedings.

But when the show culminated in Mussarat getting kicked out, Himesh couldn't control his temper and out come the saas-bahu taanes. This was rather hilariously exploited by the SRGMP producers with their black and white crisis cam. For a while Vishal tried to defend a visibly striken Raja. Bappi tried to correlate all of this to the cataclysmic injustice handed out to Mauli and noted how unfair this duniya is. Himesh promptly shut him down. Mussarat looked like he wanted to be on a plane back home already.

So shaken was Raja that in the next show he veritably croaked out "Tenu Le Ke" from Salaam-e-Ishq. This doesn't bode well for the man - who at one point was clearly coasting on his status as the most bravura singer of the show. Interestingly the question now becomes: should he play it safe and stick to his genre to regain past glory or should he continue to explore his versatility and risk it all? In other words, to survive Raja might have to prove Himesh right and his own mentor wrong. Wah! Kya Bollywood twist hai!

More doses of Himesh were to come. This time over the ghasa-pita Aneek Sumedha one-sided romance. This reminded me of one of my closest classmates - fondly called Bond - who had multiple romances going on for years with girls who barely knew he existed. He even celebrated their birthdays and tracked their performances in exams down to marks breakdown by subject. And Aneek seems to be doing that. I wouldn't be surprised if he had turned out to be Lalloo Prasad Yadav's son, so deft is he in tweaking a potentially beneficial situation.

In any case: on to the singing. Aneek continues to be my favorite - probably more so because he could be the next Himesh Reshammiya in terms of being a continuous cheese-fest. His ability to fill his lungs to capacity in about 2 nanoseconds between lyrics in a song still amazes me. Sumedha sang beautifully but the shrillness in her voice turns me off every now and then. Poonam - whose sad-sack kahani is the cause of debate everywhere, no doubt fueled by the SRGMP media team itself - sang both her songs superbly although her song selection sometimes puts me to sleep. Amanat continued his upward trend of delivering entertaining performances.

Last week's episode was rather annoying. I am pretty sure looking at Sumedha's and Amanat's expression that there was never anything going on between them. Aneek is in Himesh's gharaana so he seems to be carrying this game along with Himesh. Funny part is that Himesh understands how irritated SUmedha is listening to this drama and still he continues with these stories.

Aspi, looks like u think just like Shekar.I had posted a blog givig the address of a site which has his interview in which he says SRGMP should be renamed Saas-bahu-aur-gaana or maybe Saas-bahu-aur-drama.....it seems like he is one of us......exasperated with himesh.

O well, maybe i'm in the minority but poor Aneek's stock is taking a beating in my eyes not because of his singing (I think he is excellent) but thanks to his gleeful participation in the Himass show. But I do enjoy the unsurpassed tackiness and 'sickophancy' of the rings he wears - H R ones in tribute to his royal besharmness! Can someone confirm this? I hope I'm not blinded by my besharmiya distaste.

On another note, Sumedha missed an excellent chance to take preemptive action by borrowing a panna fm the savvy and spunky Ankita's kitab. She shd have simply trotted out raakhis for all the guys and invoked the "bhaiya"astra. In fact in order to fight the good fight against the evil saas i reccomend that all the gals in future SRGMP shows start with that ---- the first of the HR rules. It seems clear that beleaguered Raja needs a few of those too or he's in danger of becoming geography (to use Uditji's charming turn of phrase).

However, I do feel V-S have the clout to stop this nonsense and instead of keeping their hands clean they need to say a few curt words to the producers.They are the most popular mentors by far and losing them would hurt SRGMP's precious TRPs.

folks, to add my two cents to the fake-Aneek-Sumedha-non-romance....Here's my theroy...Yaar, Him-mess is a marketing genius. Looking over to II3, Emon got booted out not because he can't sing, but because he's too much a bhaiyya and not enuf of a "sainyya." A lot of people vote for the contestants because they fall for a guy or have a crush on the girl. Unfortunately, Amit or Prashant can generate the boyfriend fantasy but not young Emon. So in comes Himass....with baby Aneek. How to market the baby genius when the likes of Amaanat and Raja dominate the romantic turf? Why, yes, make him out to be an unrequited-Romeo-in-love! This allows young people to project their romantic fantsies onto him and thus overlook his actual age, give him more universal appeal, etc. Thus the unfortunate Emon syndrome is avoided.

you took all your sweet time to ask.. anyhoo i am not making this up like people from other forums think, i actually had this dream. Yes i did exaggerate the detail a bit and added some affects in my usual style

my dream.. lemme copy paste

--

I was in srgmp sets for some weird reasons and only Himesh was there and somehow my boyfriend and him got into a fight and cops came. Then Himesh was like "Don't take them to jail, i'll take them home"

we had no choice but to go to his house and the house was pink and it was a huge castle like in the movies and he kept on forcefeeding me a cake saying "roti khao bachcha roti khao" and i was like "its a cake not roti" but i had to do as he said otherwise we'll go to jail

then i had a look at his hand and it the skin was peeling like he had some skin disease and it was green, he had huge hairy hobbit feet

Himesh should be thrown out. The way he snatched mike from Mussarat was gross. My son says, he has "Mike Mania". He should always be kept 2 feet away from mike. The moment Himesh takes mike, my sons changes the challenge. He cannot comprehend what Himesh says. poor guy, does not know that even mum cannot comprehend!

Hey Aspi I am now getting supicious that you are on HR's side - pls dont mark poor Raja down he aint bad and poor guy wasnt croaking - I think HR croaks rather barks. Raja sings well and his songs do touch the audiences - and I find Sumedha a bit overrated and the weakest of the five.

Sept 15, 2027Once upon a future – when H. Besharmiya (err…ya…he’s still strapped to that title; -- apt tho’, aint it) tried to make amends for his grossly imbecile behavior of Sept 15th (see finally everyone realizes what a mess they have made of themselves), he couldn’t believe himself. He could only croak (spent too much energy throwing fits on the sets of srgmp, buddy), could hardly see – people in love now need to tap him on his shoulders to let him know he needn’t be a fake-o. Meanwhile Vishal and Shekhar, thank Gawd for dignified assessment of musical talent even while pitted against “nautanki ke Raja Himass, strangely supported by the fartsos BL and ID”, come to present a CD of their latest hit with the talent selected from srgmp! Long live VS. So guys, there is hope – we just need to help each other oust the sullen HR from this show; tho’ we might even miss his “saas ke jaise cheekhna chillana, aur cheezein uthakar patak dena, well nearly”! We might as well do the mace act on him!!!Priti

Hi VSwillstay, I'm on no one's side in particular. I pretty much watch the show one episode at a time and try to enjoy it as much as I can.

Over a period of time, I've built a fondness for Himesh's nautankis. Enjoyed the right way, it can provide hours of entertainment. And I also enjoy the singing on the show. Other than that, I don't have a vested interest in anyone.

If V-S do something silly next episode, I'll be here making fun of them in a heartbeat.

Thanks Anon for the info on the rings. Shows how litte I observe ---- it's Aspi's keen sense of the absurd that has refocused my attention on SRGMP. I used to watch only for the singing trying to tune everything else out ---- now I'm much richer 'coz of the extra laughs. Thanks Aspi :)

As for all the hand 'ringing' that HR's chelas need to do --- the extreme tackiness and horror of it all is just delish!

P.S. More on HR's 'ringing' endorsement to his chelas. Apsi, they're reported to be diamond so draw yr infererences on price. Heres the link to the article on the fellowship of the rings:http://news.indya.com/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2007/July/News_20070718_184

Those HR rings r inaspicious,I must say.Shreta and Joy wore them too and they got the boot.

And now Mussarrat.I hope the "lady luck" bestows upon Aneek (and eventually on HR himself) too reliving us of all the pain.

Priti,what a scenario.Cool.But I wonder do we have to wait for so long?

I wish Sumedha stages one of those on-demand fainting or nervous breakdown kind of stuff on the show and later sues Himesh for mental torture,emotional turmoil and passing defaming and damaging remarks.Then may be a Ram Jethmalani will think twice before defending him.On the other hand,does Himesh need a lawyer?

The way he was walking on that stage holding the mike,when everyone was watching Mussarrat's A/V (Raja,bappi and Vishal were engrossed in a discussion) - he looked like a hunter with a bandook waiting to target somebody.

Soon after that he was like 'Bappi da,U want to say something?Kissiko kuch kehna hai?Anybody?' He wouldn't let anyone talk.Like my friend calss people who misbehave -Rowdy Fellow.

Aspi, u say u enjoy Himesh;s nautankis and the singing on the show.I hope u dont mean u enjoy Himeshs singing.My son says that he sounds like he is constipated singing 'ooh ooh' at such high pitches.But I must say he loves his own singing so much, he just grabs the mike whenever he gets a chance!and about vineet, i did read somewhere that Himesh got vineet to sing a song, but then rerecorded it in his own voice.....am not sure of that news...But in short he is certainly a pain to watch....its a different opinion that some people enjoy pain!!!

Yeow mannn! That article sure is hilarious! Guys, letz compile all these gems (the posts here, and Aspi's article), gift wrap them and send them to Mr. HB, the erstwhile HR. Mebbe, just maybe this will drill some sense in him and he will stop his antics on stage; maybe, if we are firtunate, withdraw from the stage!

omg i cant wait to see besharmiya's reaction when his 'sweet sweet beta' gets eliminated...it will probably be the highest viewed video of the season on youtube! beating Mauli's Mayya Mayya hands down.(god knows why ppl want to watch that! >.< anw it's the most watched video on youtube currently)knowing himesh, he'll probably throw a tantrum - complete with kicking of arms and legs, etc. he'll totally lose command of hindi - we'll just hear him screaming "Ishq! Pyaar! Dulhann! Roti! Maa" senslessly...Inspired by this, producers will be queuing up to make the sequel of Aap Ka Surroor: Aap Ka Suarr.

What a happy ending, huh? =)I bet Suemedha and Amanat will be throwing a party (no embarassment). Aditya would be throwing a party too (can be friends with mauli without being teased like hell / can get a chance to speak on stage).

Coming to Aditya, i heard that he's releasing an album in December. he's touring US/Canada in April-May 2008.

qwitiqqx, what the hell do these themes mean!? so confused yet, excited! hehe. Anyways, nicely done describing HimAss's future in srgmp. I hope he gets kicked off, and if it means we lose a good singer(I mean Onik)then so be it!

There was one posting by a very observant person last week who said that the pictures on the wall gave a clue as to who was out next...ands he said it would be sumdha....my ! I am impressed by his observations, but disgusted that this whole show is a sham.......

Sa re ga ma has become nautanki but we are still hooked to it. I will be delighted if Raja is on number one spot this time. He had to hear a little too much last week. Himesh made a fool of himself by making loose statements like " raja ke saath sympathy karo. use guilt feeling hai". Truth is all the singers are more or less the same at this stage. I strongly believe Zee should make this emotional drama stop on the show. We watch it for the singers not to hear about singer's personal lives. If Poonam is uncomfortable about her mom being discussed on every episode, judges should respect her feelings and stop raising this issue every time Poonam is on stage. Sumedha also looks really pissed off with this love talk and Himesh you better 'SHUT UP'. Don;t you have to go publicize your already released movie or something else. Just go away and let us enjoy the show. At this stage it will be unfair to attach an emotional issue to every contestant as an additional support. By the way, never heard of any emotional issues about Raja so far. Bravo Raja, way to go.

Poor Himesh was too upset to practise his reverse psychology this time, and bhaari pad gaya. H e used to praise Raja so much assuming that people would say 'itna acha gaya hai to votes tho mil jaayenge'. This time he was really upset cos his chosen contestants are out...Aneek was just a lucky-draw entry for him, so unke ego ko bahut thes pahuncha hai.....imagine Raja getting the No. 1 for the songs he sang Last time!!Raja should thank Him (oh, wow, Himesh does think he is the Almighty Him)whose tirade helped Raja earn sympathy votes.But dont expect peace once Sumedha is out......Him will continue as to how Aneek is missing his girlfriend so much, so there is so much 'dukh' in his voice that he sings so well, and so all Him;s fans must vote for Aneek...blah blah....

dear aspi..have been reading your blog reguarly with a lot of interest and laughter..want to add my own spices to the stew..dont you think that with all himass'(I love the name!) nautanki ..the show will be a very boring place without him?Having said that,i think he has made it a fine art ...promoting his own candidate (tho onik is deserving) and taking down his competition...slowly and systematically...even confuiz bappida is an asset to the show what with his accent (how can he not pronounce 'Da' after singing in so many bollywood movies is beyond my understanding)and his fab jewellery..onik must have borrowed his rings not HRs ..have you noticed the way he claps?please do...we are howling everytime he does that trick!minnie

Meg - Indians ain't HB!!! :-) he's an aberration! He thinks, (dunno how brain dead people can do that, tho') the only way to win is by getting the "emotional angle" in ("we are sentimental ppl" - Himass Nautanki Besharmiya); letz thank our starts he hasn't cooked up some more tripe. Tho' watz stewing in his pot, we can't pre empt!

its like when you took rakhi sawant and kashmira shah out of 'bigg boss' it ceased to be even remotely interesting...as you said aspi..I too love the sensational stuff (must be a not so nice person as well :-))..so long HR doesnt start on poonams mom...thats a cheap trick to get votes ..and poonam with her great voice doesnt need it , her genuine admirers might get pissed off with the repeated stunts..even she looks uncomfortable with HRs commentsalso the triangle is geting onto my nerves...sumedha shud sue the pants off himass for this..it is so juvenile..minnie

Partly it is Sumedha's fault too to not to speak when Himesh pulled her over near Aneek on stage. She was actually being courteous and respectful but it appeared dumb on stage. Speak up Sumedha. You are not a dumb doll.